City director Begiristain hails departing 'winner' Alvarez

By Sports Desk August 12, 2024

Manchester City's director of football Txiki Begiristain described Julian Alvarez as a born winner after sanctioning his €95million (£81.5m) move to Atletico Madrid.

Atleti will pay an initial €75m (£64.5m) plus €20m (£17m) in add-ons for the Argentina international, who has penned a six-year contract with the Spanish giants.

His departure, which has netted City a club-record transfer fee, comes after two successful seasons with the club, with whom he won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

Alvarez scored 36 goals in 103 appearances for Pep Guardiola's side, with 19 of those coming in 54 outings last season, the forward playing more games than any other City player.

Alvarez also helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup during his time at the Etihad Stadium, and Begiristain has nothing but warm wishes for him as he departs.

"Everyone at Manchester City wishes Julian all the very best with the next stage of his career – he has been a pleasure to work with," he told the club's website.

"His attitude has been first-class since he first walked through the door here. That's why he has improved so much.

"The trophies he has won already tell their own story – he is a winner. I look forward to watching him develop further in the remainder of his career."

Last week, City boss Guardiola confirmed Alvarez had indicated a desire to test himself in another league, and he will now look to end Los Colchoneros' three-year wait for a major trophy upon linking up with Diego Simeone's team.

"Today I say goodbye to this amazing club, with a lot of emotion," Alvarez said in a farewell statement. 

"These have been two very special years. During this time, I have grown and learnt a lot - both as a player and as a person.

"To the directors and the technical staff, thank you for your confidence and support. Your teachings and vision have helped me to develop so much.

"To my team-mates, thank you for every moment we have shared, for the effort and dedication in every training session and every match. I have learnt a lot from each and every one of you and I remain with memories and friendships that will last forever.

"To the fans, thank you from the bottom of my heart for the great support and for making me feel at home from the very first day. I will always be extremely proud to have been part of this family.

"Manchester City will always have a special place in my heart. I wish you every success in the future and I will keep on supporting the club wherever I may be."

Related items

  • Rogers pens long-term Aston Villa deal Rogers pens long-term Aston Villa deal

    Morgan Rogers has signed a new contract to keep him at Aston Villa until the end of the 2029-30 season.

    Rogers, newly minted as a full England international after making his debut against Greece last week, joined Villa in February from Middlesbrough.

    He swiftly established himself as a regular in Unai Emery's set-up, and has played 22 times in the Premier League, making 19 starts.

    The 22-year-old has netted six goals and provided three assists in the top flight.

    Rogers has also started each of Villa's four Champions League matches this season.

    His tally of nine chances created in the Champions League is the most of any player in Villa's squad, five more than next-best Ollie Watkins.

  • Cuba overturn deficit in 5-2 aggregate Play-In win over St Kitts and Nevis to book Gold Cup prelims spot Cuba overturn deficit in 5-2 aggregate Play-In win over St Kitts and Nevis to book Gold Cup prelims spot

    Cuba booked their spot in the Concacaf Gold Cup prelims after they turned the tables on St Kitts and Nevis in their Concacaf Nations League Play-In tie on Monday.

    Needing to overturn a deficit from their 1-2 first-leg loss, Cuba did just that in commanding fashion as they blanked St Kitts and Nevis 4-0 in a lopsided return-leg encounter at Estadio Antonio Maceo in Santiago de Cuba.

    After bossing possession for most of the first half, Cuba inevitably broke the deadlock when Onel Hernandez produced a decent solo run on his way to driving home a right-footer from the top of the penalty area to level the series on aggregate at that point.

    But the hosts were far from done and doubled the lead on the stroke of the break as Yosel Piedra also converted from close range in the 45+3 to make it 2-0 at the break and 3-2 on aggregate.

    With St Kitts and Nevis offering very little resistance on the resumption, Cuba extended their lead in the 50th courtesy of Luis Paradela’s close-range finish.

    Maykel Reyes then converted an 87th-minute penalty to cap the win as Cuba continued their march towards making the cut for next year’s Concacaf Gold Cup. A win in the preliminary rounds would see them achieving that feat.

  • Bayern's Palhinha sidelined for weeks with adductor injury Bayern's Palhinha sidelined for weeks with adductor injury

    Bayern Munich confirmed Joao Palhinha will be sidelined for several weeks after suffering an adductor injury while on international duty.

    The midfielder sustained the issue while training with Portugal, and withdrew from the squad, missing both of their Nations League fixtures against Poland and Croatia. 

    Palhinha, who joined Bayern on a four-year contract in July from Fulham, has made 13 appearances in all competitions and boasts a 100% tackle completion rate in the Bundesliga (7/7).

    "FC Bayern's medical department has confirmed that Joao Palhinha suffered a torn muscle fibre in his right adductor while training with the Portugal national team," the club said. "The midfielder will therefore be sidelined for the coming weeks."

    Bayern have been boosted by Aleksandar Pavlovic's return to first-team training over the international break, though he has still not returned to full fitness.

    The Bavarians, top of the Bundesliga with a five-point advantage over RB Leipzig, have a busy schedule ahead of them with four matches in 11 days.

    Bayern take on Augsburg in the league on Friday before hosting Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next Tuesday. They then travel to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and face holders Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal on December 3.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.